Focus on the Family leader James Dobson has made it official: his organization will not support any front-runner in the Republican race for the party's presidential nomination unless that man takes a vow supporting "the sanctity of life."

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His position puts him at odds with Rudy Giuliani, who currently leads national opinion polls on the Republican ticket. Giuliani supports abortion rights.

More than 40 Christian conservatives, including Dobson, attended a meeting Sept. 30 in Salt Lake City to discuss the possibility of a split, and planned more gatherings on how they should move forward.

"After two hours of deliberation, we voted on a resolution that can be summarized as follows: If neither of the two major political parties nominates an individual who pledges himself or herself to the sanctity of human life, we will join others in voting for a minor-party candidate," he wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times on Thursday. "Those agreeing with the proposition were invited to stand. The result was almost unanimous.

"The other issue discussed at length concerned the advisability of creating a third party if Democrats and Republicans do indeed abandon the sanctity of human life and other traditional family values. Though there was some support for the proposal, no consensus emerged."

Participants in the meeting also included Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, a conservative policy group in Washington, and Richard A. Viguerie, a direct-mail expert and longtime conservative activist.

Viguerie described the gathering but would not give specifics of the proposal or reveal additional names of participants. He said President George W. Bush "would not have been elected in '04 without the people in that room."

"There is such a jaundiced feelings about any promises or commitments from any Republican leaders," he said in a phone interview. "You could almost cut the anger and the frustration with a knife in that room it's so strong. Because they don't know what else to do, they're talking third party."

Front-Runners Don't Pass Muster

Dobson has said he wouldn't support Giuliani because he is an "unapologetic supporter of abortion on demand." Dobson has also said he wouldn't back John McCain because of the Arizona senator's opposition to a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Dobson has also been critical of Fred Thompson.

"I don't think he's a Christian," Dobson told "U.S. News & World Report."

Appearing Wednesday on Fox News, Thompson dismissed the criticism. He described Dobson as a "gentleman who has never met me, has never talked to me. I have never talked to him on the phone. I did have one of his aides call me up and kind of apologize the first time he attacked me and said I wasn't a Christian."

"I have my own relationship to the good Lord," Thompson said. "And, as I like to say, in my heart of hearts, I know I'm straight with him and I'm on good terms with him, and I'm on good terms with those who love me and those who I love. And the rest of it, you know, I'll just have to work around that."

When asked whether he wanted to speak personally with Dobson, Thompson said, "I don't particularly care to have a conversation with him. If he wants to call up and apologize again, you know, it's — it's OK with me. But I'm not going to dance to anybody's tune."

Read the interview transcript by clicking here.

Viguerie said conservatives "are still open" to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, but said, "we haven't seen anything that guarantees that we will hold to the positions that he's articulating." Romney has been questioned about his record on gay rights.

In his column Thursday, Dobson said, "Speaking personally, and not for the organization I represent or the other leaders gathered in Salt Lake City, I firmly believe that the selection of a president should begin with a recommitment to traditional moral values and beliefs. Those include the sanctity of human life, the institution of marriage, and other inviolable pro-family principles. Only after that determination is made can the acceptability of a nominee be assessed."

Read Dobson's column by clicking here.

Front-Runners Skipped Values Debate

GOP front-runners Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson all skipped a "Values Voter Presidential Debate" in September. Those who did attend -- Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Sam Brownback, Duncan Hunter, Alan Keyes and John Cox -- all pledged to work to keep federal funding away from organizations that perform or promote abortions and increase funding for abstinence education.

Debate moderator Joseph Farah said the front-runners' absence would cost them support among social conservatives. Farah directs the news operation at WorldNetDaily, a Web site favored by conservatives that launched with the backing of a foundation supported by Richard Mellon Scaife.

Other members of the panel included Phyllis Schlafly, founder of the Eagle Forum; Roy Moore, who was removed from his post as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court when he refused to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from his courtroom; and Don Wildmon, the founder of the American Family Association, whose mission statement says it "exists to motivate and equip citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth."